eco-chic design

chic and compostable dinnerware made from fallen palm leaves

It was great to see VerTerra’s products mixed in with reusable dinnerware at the St. Julien Hotel in Boulder during the LOHAS Forum last month. I've always loved the elegant design of the disposable plates, bowls and trays but never had a chance to use them. They are made with fallen palm leaves, steam, heat, and pressure only. You can’t get more pure than that. The idea originated during a trip to India where VerTerra’s founder Michael Dwork witnessed a local woman pressing leaves fallen from trees into plate like objects that were used to serve food. Now fallen leaves that otherwise would get burned are collected from plantations, then cleaned and pressed into contemporary looking dinnerware at local factories in India. Over 80% of the water used during the steam process is recaptured and reused. Even the waste products are powdered down into fertilizer that’s returned to the farmers who supply the leaves. I love eco-friendly products that close the loop like that. 

The results are organic looking plates and bowls that are non-toxic, biodegradable and even compostable. The great thing about being compostable is that these sustainable products will not only break down within 2 months after use in home or industrial composting but also release valuable nutrients into the soil. VerTerra’s dinnerware is intended for single-use and a green alternative to plastic and paper plates. Something that certainly comes in handy these days for eco-friendly BBQs, beach parties or rooftop gatherings.

making the case for greener homes at the LOHAS Forum

Many speakers at the LOHAS Forum in Boulder last week stressed the relationship between health and sustainability that starts at home. One of the panelists about “Healthy Homes” mentioned that according to the EPA pollutant levels can be 2-5 times higher indoors than outdoors. That’s one scary fact and that’s why I like stores like Ellie’s that we visited during our LOHAS Insight Tour.

Ellie’s is a spacious eco-home store in Boulder that offers everything you can imagine to create a modern eco-friendly home. At the center of the store are all types of eco-friendly building materials ranging from natural cork flooring, bamboo plywoods to non-toxic paints and finishes. What I loved the most about the interior design of the store were the walls made out of the rapidly renewable resource Kirei and the refilling stations for non-toxic cleaners. I also like that Ellie’s teams up with local designers such as Bare Earth Design. The local family run business had one of their platform beds on display made of domestic walnut and Kirei using low VOC, non-toxic finishes. Another product that caught my eye was the natural soy crayons box by local company clementine art. The packaging looks beautiful and is made of 80% post consumer recycled and reusable materials. One common theme at the LOHAS Forum was that the future is now and you’re never too young or too old to start envisioning it. Maybe those colorful non-toxic crayons can help you with that.

modern abstract rug designs certified by GoodWeave

As a big advocate of great modern design combined with social responsibility I was thrilled to discover Amy Helfand’s rug designs at ICFF last month. Her Garland Rugs looked stunning with their dynamic patterns and are GoodWeave certified to ensure child-labor-free practices. Fluttering prayer flags of Nepal are the inspiration behind the Garland Rugs. The indigo looked gorgeous juxtaposed with cream and pops of saturated color. Her website illustrates how the Brooklyn based artist arrives at her abstract designs that go through several creative evolutions. In the case of the Garland Rugs you can see photographs of the actual prayer flags that are transformed into sculptures and then into abstract patterns for her rugs. I love how this process makes Eastern imagery accessible for modern home design. The Garland rugs are hand-knotted at 100 knots/inch in Nepal made of Chinese silk and Tibetan wool.

Amy Helfand is a member of the non-profit organization GoodWeave. It ensures that the rugs are produced in a child-labor-free environment. Through her contributions she also helps to fund rehabilitation and education for former child weavers. It’s a great example that designers can be agents of change and I can only hope that more artists will follow. Other companies that collaborate with GoodWeave include Angela Adams, IndiB and Judy Ross Textiles.

the perfect blend of sustainable cuisine with green decor

One of the advantages of spending summer weekends in the city is that hard-to-get reservations at restaurants are available. That’s how I got a table at ABC Kitchen without reservations. And not just any table but a table made from salvaged wood since ABC Kitchen is committed to sustainable décor as much as sustainable food. All food is prepared with organic and local ingredients whenever possible. None of their produce uses pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, insecticides or GMOs and most meat, fish and dairy is locally sourced. The same commitment to sustainable cuisine can be found in their selection of beverages such as tea, coffee or wine that are organic or fair trade. The restaurant’s location close to the farmers market at Union Square doesn’t hurt either. 

The restaurant was co-created between ABC Carpet & Home with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez. It perfectly fuses a pre-dominantly white and sustainable décor with seasonal produce to create a pleasantly airy atmosphere. I’ve always loved the sustainable products at ABC Home & Planet and it’s great to see them utilized in a restaurant. The food is served on handmade porcelain dinnerware by local artisan Jan Burtz. Each piece is hand-built and hand glazed. The bread baskets are handcrafted by the indigenous mapuche people of Patagonia and are part of the ABC Goodwood Collection that also includes Jim Denney’s dining table made from salvaged wood. If you happen to be in town I can highly recommend the peekytoe crab toast appetizer.

recycled paper transformed into eco-modern home accessories

Last week at ICFF the colorful cushions made out of recycled paper by Japanese company Qurz Inc. caught my attention since they were surprisingly soft. I couldn’t believe that they were made of recycled paper. It turned out that the structured looking paper cushions are made by weaving together recycled twisted paper after a softening process. The smooth surface looks very unique and almost feels like paper with a satin sheen. 

Qurz Inc. was founded by the Japanese designer Takumi Shimamura in 2005 after he spent some time as a car designer at Subaru. The recycled cushions are part of his product line cuiora. All cuiora products are made from woven bands of 100% recycled paper that traditionally were used for carrying heavy rice bags in Japan. Now these sturdy bands are skillfully used to create contemporary home accessories such as paper cushions, striped fruit bowls and striped lampshades. The eco-friendly fruit bowls and lampshades are made by firmly rolling the paper bands into a spiral shape. In both cases I was amazed that post-consumer recycled paper can look this beautiful. Especially since I’m quite guilty myself of creating paper waste on a daily basis. It’s great to see a company value recycled paper by artfully turning it into useful everyday objects.

acoustic wall panels made from eco-friendly felt at ICFF

As a long-standing fan of wool felt utilized in modern design I was excited to discover the stunning acoustic felt wall panels by Anne Kyyrö Quinn at ICFF. The installation unveiled her latest “Laine” and “Leaf” textile structures that are inspired by nature. Both create a sense of movement through their play of light and shadows. “Laine” is inspired by the reflections of ripples on water and “Leaf”, as the name suggests, by moving petals in a summer breeze. The structures of the acoustic felt walls were mesmerizing and felt like a breath of fresh air. I never imagined that acoustic wall panels could create movement and stillness at the same time. So how do they reduce noise levels? The main material felt absorbs sound through its tiny cavities of its intricate 3-D surface that wick sound waves into another layer of fabric underneath. It basically functions like an acoustic sponge. The result is beautiful and functional at the same time. This makes them perfect for eco-conscious home theaters, offices, lounges or restaurants. In addition the London-based designer Anne Kyyrö Quinn introduced her "Lola" low seating pieces and cushions. And here again, she puts a surprising twist on one of the oldest fabrics in the world by turning the organic designs into structural pieces of art.

contemporary green designs in motion at ICFF

One of my favorite companies at ICFF yesterday was the booth by MIO introducing their new 2010 collection “Design on the Go”. The first thing I noticed were their colorful Pop-Up Baskets in white, red, and aqua and the Pop-Up Bicycle baskets in white, black, and green. Both contemporary designs are laser-cut made with powder-coated steel and ship flat to cut down on unnecessary energy consumption. The Pop-Up Bicycle baskets are a fun way to encourage drivers to ride their bike more often for running errands instead of taking their car. Other accessories for a mobile green lifestyle that made their debut at ICFF were the super-cool Bubble Dot Computer Sleeves made of 100% wool felt. They were developed in collaboration with a local milliner. What makes them so playful is that they are molded with steam to create the bubble-effect and then hardened to protect iPads, Netbooks and laptop computers.

MIO has been designing eco-modern products for the home and office such as their Beehive SoftBowls, the Organixe Magazine Filing System or their Origami Side Table since 2001. The Philadelphia-based company was founded by the Salm brothers and has successfully combined fun, modern design with sustainability. I’m glad they ventured out into the mobile green lifestyle area as well with their “Design on the Go” collection since I’m ready for summer.

modular design for solar-powered electronics

In my ongoing efforts to reduce my energy consumption I finally started researching solar-powered speaker systems for my iPhone that also have a space-saving design. Well, you guessed it. Inevitably I landed on Regen’s solar-powered ReNu Audio Dock for iPod and iPhone. And let me just warn you upfront before you get too excited, like myself, that it won’t be available until fall 2010. I love the small size of the ReNu Audio Dock since it’s perfect for small studios plus you can easily take it with you on weekend getaways. But first you’ll also need the ReNu Panel that comes separately. Simply expose the ReNu Panel to direct sunlight for 7-14 hours depending on its indoor or outdoor location to get a fully charged Lithium Ion battery. After that you can enjoy up to eight hours of sound. 

What struck me the most though about this eco-fabulous family of solar-powered electronics is that the modular design works with a range of devices. And multi-functionality as well as adaptability is a big component of sustainable design. The full line of products includes the actual ReNu Panel that can be used with the ReNu iPod Dock, the ReNu Audio Dock and even the ReNu Side Light. The latter is essentially a sustainable desk lamp with an LED light. All products have the same sleek design and are great additions to a sustainable home or home office setup.

organic baby bedding for sustainable baby showers

This weekend I’ll be at a baby shower and I was thrilled to see that the parents mostly picked eco-modern gifts for their registry. Since they are very popular parents most of the items were already taken. But I was able to secure some super-cute crib sheets made of 100% organic cotton by Q Collection Junior in Roxy. They combine my love for sustainability with great design through their contemporary elephant parade pattern. Q Collection Junior is the latest addition to the family tree of Q Collection and has the same sustainable values. As it so happens with younger members of the family they are simply much cuter. Q Collection Junior offers an entire line of eco-modern children's furniture and bedding that are safe for people and the planet. Each of their products is made from non-toxic materials and manufactured in a sustainable manner. Their children’s furniture uses only zero or low VOC, formaldehyde-free materials as well as water-based, non-toxic glues. The baby bedding is only made of organic cotton printed with low-impact, non-toxic fabric dyes. All this is especially important since babies spend most of their time close to ground surfaces. With this knowledge I hope that the soon-to-be parents will be able to get some sleep. Well, most likely that won’t happen with their new eco-chic baby.

Greener Gadgets 2010: where art meets science

Like last year the Greener Gadgets conference 2010 here in NYC had an amazing line-up of speakers. I’ve always admired Yves Behar’s work at fuseproject. His opening speech mentioned that as designers we can put sexy back into green. This was underlined by his work for PACT organic underwear and the electric Mission One motorcycle. He introduced two new projects: a ‘hackable’ car for the developing world and a crystal chandelier powered by only one LED light that uses one crystal and one paper shade. The latter will debut at the Milan Furniture Fair in April.

Another session was entitled Gadget Talks and Tom Hadfield from LaboGroup explained the amazing concept behind the plant-based air purifier Andrea. It looks like a beautiful sculpture and it was no surprise that Tom mentioned that his French innovation company is dedicated to turn science into an art form. LaboGroup is associated with Le Laboratoire, the art and innovation center in Paris. Andrea is 1000 times more efficient at removing toxic gases from the air than plants alone. It’s based on a NASA design and purifies all those nasty VOCs which makes it perfect for stagnant areas in your home or office. The other highlight was the presentation by Leonardo Bonanni from MIT Media Lab for Sourcemap that’s a very cool tool for LCA and supply chain transparency. It’s open source and would for example tell you the carbon footprint you incurred to attend the Greener Gadgets conference. And then of course, don’t forget to offset it.